Pilot killed in Contra Costa crash ID'd

Published 3:21 pm, Sunday, October 29, 2006

2006-10-29 16:21:00 PST KNIGHTSEN -- A pilot who died when his ultralight aircraft crashed in eastern Contra Costa County on Saturday morning was identified Sunday as Stephen Daleo, a 50-year-old lifetime flying enthusiast from Pleasanton.

Daleo's open-cockpit Moyes Dragonfly experienced trouble during takeoff from a private airstrip in the area and crashed into a field at 12:35 p.m. near Sunset Road and Eden Plains Road in the unincorporated town of Knightsen, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

Officials said the cause of the crash is not yet known. Federal aviation authorities do not regulate ultralight planes or investigate crashes involving them.

Daleo was an electronics design engineer and a wine connoisseur who moved from his native Kansas City to the Bay Area in 1999. He lived with his girlfriend in Pleasanton, where he also acted as a sales representative for Aeros, a hang glider manufacturer, said Mark Grubbs, a friend he met through their mutual interest in hang gliding.

Whether hang gliding on Mount Diablo or piloting planes, Daleo's passion "was to be able to literally soar with the hawks and eagles," said Grubbs.